Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book.

Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. The pace is so swift that there’s no time for readers to examine minor inconsistencies or to wonder why such a smart hacker would sometimes give up so easily.Ī thriller chiller with some hot moments.Ī teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas. Romance blossoms between Griff and Wick despite her resistance, adding a vulnerability to Wick’s tough-cookie persona. Wick’s hacking activities are integral to the plot but are not as fully fleshed out as they should be, resulting in some telling rather than showing, distancing readers. It’s clear from the diary that Tessa was in an abusive relationship with an older man, but how to identify him and why there are threats against Lily remain murky. Carson, the cop who’s still looking for her dad, and Griff, an attractive fellow student, are pulled into the plot, along with Tessa’s parents and sister. Classmate Tessa’s death becomes personal when Wick finds a copy of Tessa’s diary on her front porch in the middle of the night. Wick and Lily’s father is an abuser and a criminal, and it’s been up to Wick to protect the naïve Lily ever since their mother jumped to her death well-to-do foster parents Bren and Todd have given the girls a second chance, but Wick is still in survival mode. Wicket Tate kicks into high gear with her hacking skills when her little sister is threatened following another girl’s suicide.

Find Me by Romily Bernard